Auto triple-expansion engine



May 29. 1928.

E. NORBERG AUTO TRIPLE EXPANSION ENGINE Filed Aug. 6, 1927 3 Sheet '7'i7a/Vbr&e7:9

INVENTOR ATTO R N EY May 29. 1928.

E. NORBERG AUTO TRIPLE EXPANSION ENGINE Filed Aug. 6, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNVENTOF j ATTORNEY May 29, 1928. 1,671,838

E. NORBERG AUTO TRIPLE EXPANSION ENGINE Filed Aug. 6, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet '3 Ewan Wkl INVENTOR i ATTOR N EY ings which form part of the application, with the understanding, however, that the F approximately on the line 55of Figure 6.

pistons in a different PatentedMay 29, 192 8.

UNITED STATES no er.-

ERIK nomannaor raoxawamu, New Yonx it AUTO 'rnzrnn-nxmusron ENGINE.

Application filed Afu uste, 1927, semi mt 211L123? My present invention has reference to steam engines, and my object is the provision of a triple ex )ansion engine of this type in which the full force of the steam pressure is expended in projecting the pistons to the full length, of theirstroke and returning the pistons to initial position to be again acted on by live steam at the time of exhaust of the steam which initially influenced the pistons and whereby asmooth and rapid reciprocation of the pistons is produced with a minimum amount of steam pressure.

A further object is the novel construction of pistons and theirarrangement 1n cylinders ofa particular formation, together with valves in the p stons and means for automatically opening and closing such valves 1n proper timed relation to permit of the full forceof steam being directedagainst the pistons and exhaustedthrough the open-I ings that provide the valve seats.

The invention will be full y and comprehensively understood from a consideration of the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawimprovement iscapable of extended applica' tion and is not confined to the exact showing of the drawings nor to the precise construction described andg'therefore, such changes andmodifications may be made therefrom as do not affect the spirit of the invention nor exceed the scope thereof as expressed in the appended cla ms. i i

In the drawings:

Figure l is a top plan view of an engine in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2' is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a somewhat enlarged'sectional view approximately on the line 3-3 of re2. a

*igure 4 is a similar view but showing the position from that disclosed by Figure 1.

igure 5 is a transverse sectional view the head 1. The portsl6 and 25 in the head 2 o p is arranged next to the crank shaft and is nected by ojpdsitely directed cylinders 3 with the heads, the engine which p'rovi e, casing.

Journaled, in suitable bearings or tandards arisingfr'om the base or support 4 for the enginethere is a shaft 5 having belt and fly wheels thereonand also having an inter mediate crank tions 7, respectively 1 In addition to the cranks the shaft 5 as "fixed thereon a cam Wheel 8 surrounded by aeam strap 9 to which is fixed one end of a rod 10, thesaid rod being directed toward the headl, and being connected to the cranked end 11 of the shaft 12 for revoluble plugvalve 13 that is seated in the head 1, Preferably a spring 14 is arranged around the rod or stem 12 of the valve 13 and exerts a pressure between the valve and the portionof the head through which the stem passesso that the valve 13 is properly sustained onits seat. The valve 13 is providedwithtwo s aced ports 14 and 15, respectively designe to aline 16and 1 7, inthesteam inlet passage 18in 17 communicate with a transversely arranged round and somewhat enlarged openings {19 that pass through the head 1. The valve construction audits operation is ordinary; inas much as the same is employed u on various types of steam engines, especia tie Corliss type.

The cranks 6 and 7 of the shaft 3 have connected thereto pitmen 20 and 21- 21,

portion 6 and end crank por-' with ports 1 respectively, and all of these pitrnen have 1 their free ends pivotally connected to slidable cross heads 22 that carry rods 23 and 2424, respectively.

The rod 23 passes through a packing box and likewise through a depression or pocket the engine casingwhich connecte preferably through the medium of a plate 26 to the head 27 of a hollow cylindrical piston 28. Secured to the plate 26 and tothe head 27 of the hollow} iston 28 there are a pair of para llelfrod s These rods freely pass through the openin s 19 in the en ine head 1, (leaving an amp e space for t e passageypf steam through said ports or openings 19) and are secured to a piston 30 that is arranged at one side of the head 1 butdoesnot directly contact therewith. The piston 30 is slidable through a cylinder 31thathas oneend fixed to one side of the head 1. A second piston 33,

angularly with respect to the rods 29 and are passed through suitable guide openings in the engine head 1. The rods 34 are directed centrally through the cylinder 31 and are connected to the head of a hollow piston 35 similar to the piston 28. The inner face of the head of the hollow piston 35 has an annular depression through which pass headed bolts 36 that secure the outer face of the piston head to a rod37 that passes through an opening closed by a packing box in the outer head 2 of the engine. The rod 37 has secured thereon a cross bar 38, and to the ends of this bar the rods 24 are also secured. The rods 24 pass through suitable guides 39 on the sides of the head 1. The piston is arranged for slidable'movement in a cylinder40 secured on the side of the head 1 opposite the cylinder 31', and the rods 29 pass through suitable guide openings in the said piston 33.

The cylinders or chambers 31 and 40 have their inner faces, at their outer endsformed with equidistantly spaced somewhat elongated depressions providing steam outlet passages 41. The cylinders 31and 40, at their said outer endsare formed with outwardly extending annular beads or'flanges 42, respectively. In these beads or flanges 42 there are outwardly projected spring influenced contact elements in the nature of headed pins 43, the purpose of which will be resently apparent.

The hollow pistons 28 and 35 are arranged for slidable movement over the flanged or beaded ends of the cylinders 31 and 40. The heads of the pistons 28 and 35 are formed with series of circumferentially ar-.

ranged round openings 45 whose inner walls provide seats for the headsof valve 46 which are normally unseated by springs 47, The heads of the hollow pistons 28 and extend a suitable distance-beyond the cylindrical body portions of said istons and bear against the inner walls of the engine cylinders 3. These flanged or beaded portions of the hollow pistons have a series of equidistantly arranged openings 47' whose outer walls provide'seats for valves 48, which are normally unseated by springs 49. The engine heads 2, in a line with the valves 48,

have inwardly extending spring influenced pins 50 which are designed to seat the valves when the hollow pistons are moved next to the heads of the engine. The engine cylinders 3, near their heads 2 have depressions 51 providing steam passages,

and the heads of the hollow pistons have peripheral angle ports 52 which communicate with the hollow body of the pistons and with the passages 51 when the said hollow pistons are moved to the limit of their outward strokes.

The pistons 30 and 33 are also provided with round openings whose inner walls provide seats tor 'normally open spring influenced valves 53 while the head 1 has arranged therein spring infiuenced pins 55 that are in the path of contact with the valves 53 to close suchvalves." Preferably all of the valves and the contacts therefor have their stems guided through spiders 56 whose construction is best illustrated by F igure 7 of the drawings.

The steam intake 18 is, of course, connected with the steam chest, and when the shaft 5 is turned so that the cam 8 will open the valve 13, steam will be directed through the passages 17 and openings 19 to act on the pistons 30 and 33. Of course, the valve 13 is only temporarily opened and the steam will influence the pistons 30 and 33 to move the same outwardly through the cylinders 31 and 40. As these pistons are connected to the hollow pistons 28 and 35 by the rods 29 and 34 they will draw the said hollow pistons over the said c linders'toward The f 1 force of the. steam is'directed against the pistons 30 and the engine head 1.

their full outward strokes the heads of the pistons 28 and 35 will have their valves 46 contacted by the ins 43 so that these valves will be closed. Xlso atv theirfulloutward stroke the steampasses from the cylinders 31 and 40 through the passa cs 4.1 into the hollow .pistons 28 and 35. e steam pressure in the hollow pistons and in the cylinders 40 and 31 is now equalized and the steam in the cylinders 31 and 40 will automatically unseat the valves 53. The force of steam in the hollow pistons will move the same in the direction of the heads 2 of the engine and return the high pressure pistons to their initial osition where the valves 53 will be seated y contact' with the pins 55 and immediatel 13 will be opened to admit additional steam to again not upon the high pressure pistons. Before, however, such steamis admitted the angle ports 52 in the heads of the hollow pistons will communicate with the passages 51 in the engine cylinders 3, directing the steam from the, hollow pistons into the compression chambers provided between the heads ot the hollow istons and the heads 2 of the engine cylin ers. The pins 50 will have closed the valves 48, so that the steam in the said compression chambers will first exert its influence to aid the live steam. now admitted to act on the high pressure pistons to move the hollow pistons in the direction thereafter valve enses. i

of the head 1, so that after the said hollowpistons have moved away from the stop pins the valves 48 willbe openedbytheir spr ngs 49-and the spentsteam will find an exhaust through the engine' cylinders 3 and through an exhaust poi-tl 57 which is @preferably located in the lower portion of the headlv The pistons will be movedat one stroke by both high and low pressure andbyinter-z mediate pressure on the other stroke. The

construction preventsany backwpressure of steam so that the pistons receive the :full

benefit of suchsteam. It is to be noted --that only the inlet valve is operated by mechanism attached to the crank shaft andchanges and modifications. 1 q 7 Having described the invent on, I claim: 1. A triple expansion steam engine, comprising, in combination, an. intermediate head, end heads, cylinders connecting said heads and smaller and shorter cylinders in the main cylinder secured to and extending in opposite directions from the intermediate head, a high pressure piston in each of the inner cylinders, hollow pistons movable over the inner cylinders, oppositely directed rods guided through the intermediate head and high pressure pistons and connecting tlierespective high pressure pistons with the hollow pistons, valve controlled means for admitting steam through the intermediate head to act on the high pressure pistons,

means for directing steam from the high pressure pistons into the hollow pistonson 1 the end of the outward stroke of said high pressure pistons and the end of the inward stroke of the hollow pistons to force the hollow and high pressure pistons away from each other, means for directing the steam from the hollow pistons to compress the said steam between said pistons and the end heads of the engines to assist in the return stroke of the hollow pistons and means for exhausting such steamwhen live steam is again admitted against the high pressure pistons.

2. A triple expansion steam engine, comprising, in combination, an engine casing made up of an intermediate head, end heads and cylinders connecting said heads, smaller and shorter cylinders in the main cylinders secured to and extending in opposite directions from the intermediate head, a highv pressure piston in each of the inner cylinders, hollow pistons movable over the inner cylinders, oppositely directed rods guided through the intermediate head and.

pressure pistons and connectinglthe respective high pressure pistons with the va intoqthe innervcylinders toaact/on the high pressure pistons, means for equalizing the steam pressure between all the pistons when the high pressure pistons are at the limit of ollow pistons, ve controlled means for admittingsteami their outward stroke and the hollow pistons;

atthe limit ofltheir inward stroke and to more such istons in their opposite strokes, means 'for 'irecting steam. through the heads of the .hollow pistons a ainst the end headset the engine casing wienthehollow pistons are at the limit oftheir outward stroke and the high pressure pistons almost at thelimit 1 of their inwardstroke, and whereby to com press such steam to assist in tlie return ins ward stroke ot' the hollow. pistons just prior to the admission of live steam to. the inner cylinders and the pistons thereinand means for exhaustin the spent steam.

3. The coin ination, a casing, comprising 1 an intermediate head, end heads and cylinders connecting the heads,- shorter and a smaller cylinders secured to the opposite faces of the intermediate head, a piston in each of said inner cylinders, hollow pistons movable on the inner. cylindersand having heads uided in themain'cylinders, oppositely irected rods secured to the first men tioned pistons, guided through the intermediateihead and through said pistons and connecting the heads of the respective hollow pistons therewith, rodsconnected to said hollow pistons and guided through the end heads of. the engine, a cross bar on one of said rods, a cranked shaft, pitmen thereon and rods connecting the pitmen with the crossbar and with the rod of the second hollow piston, means actuated by the crank shaft for admitting steam into the inner cylinders to act onthe pistons therein, means forequalizing the steam pressure between all of the pistons when the first mentioned pistons are at the limit of their outward stroke=and the hollow pistons at the limit of their inward stroke to move said pistons to theiropposite strokes, means for direct ing steam through the heads of the hollow pistons against the end heads of the engine casing, when the-hollow pistons are at the limit of their outward stroke and the first mentioned pistons almost at the limit of their inward strokes and whereby to compress such steam to assistthe returninward stroke of the hollow pistons just prior to the admission of steam to the inner cylinders and means for exhausting the spent steam.

the sides of the intermediate head having innerdepressions adjacent to/ the outer ends thereof and having their said outer ends flanged, outwardly projected spring pressed pins on the flanges, a piston in each of the inner cylinders, having openings there-' through and spring influenced normally open valves for closing said openings, spring pressed pins on the intermediate head contactable with said valves to close the same,

oppositely directed rods secured to said istons, directed through the intermediate ead and the respective pistons, hollow istons guided on the flanges of the cyliners, and to whose heads the rods are con nected, said hollow heads having inwardly cry of the heads, the engine cylinders having steam passages to communicate with said ports when the hollow ofistons are. in one position, the end heads the engine having spring pressed pins incthe pathIof contact with the last mentioned selves of the hollow pistons a rotatable valve in the intermediate head oi the engine for admittingsteam into the intermediate cylinders to, act on the pistons therein, rods connected to theheads of the hollow pistons and guided through the engine heads, a crank shaft, pitmen'connected therewith, rods connectingthe pit-f men with the last mentioned rods of the.

hollow pistons, and means actuated by the turning of the crank shaft for-operating the steam inlet valve, all as and for the purpose set forth. I v

In testimony whereof'I aflix my signature.

ERIK NORBEiRG. 

